Norwalk, Ct. – June 9, 1944

On June 9, 1944, Elizabeth Hooker, (27) a test pilot for Grumman Aircraft in Bethpage, Long Island, was flying a fighter plane at 8,000 feet over Long Island Sound when the aircraft caught fire. She directed the plane towards shore and bailed out when it had dropped to 1,500 feet. She had tried to make the plane settle in the water, but instead it continued on and crashed in a swamp near a house in Norwalk. Miss Hooker came down about a mile from the crash site unharmed except for singed eyebrows.

Grumman sent a seaplane to bring her back to Long Island.

The type of aircraft wasn’t mentioned.

Source: The New York Times, “Girl Flier Bails Out” June 10, 1944

Update:

The aircraft was a F6F-5 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 58829). Miss Hooker took off for the test flight at 2:08 p.m., and at 2:39 p.m. radioed Grumman Tower that her plane was on fire, and at 2:41 p.m. that she was bailing out. The plane crashed in a swampy area near Walter Avenue and Post Road. The aircraft burned so completely that a cause for the accident could not be determined.